


Wait For Me

by FallOutStucky



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, M/M, this takes place around last October/November
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 04:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19124551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallOutStucky/pseuds/FallOutStucky
Summary: Johnny is worried about Ten. He hasn´t been himself recently and Johnny has no idea how to help him be happy again.





	Wait For Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Johnten fic and I actually never planned on writing one but then the inspiration hit me suddenly. I hope you enjoy it :)

Ten has been awfully quiet the past few weeks and Johnny doesn't know why. Several times he had wanted to confront the smaller man about it but has then shied away from doing so. He was scared of what Ten's answer might be.  
Normally they would talk about anything, Johnny always being the first one Ten confides in when something troubles him. That he doesn't do so now tells Johnny that something is seriously wrong.  
He knows that he should respect Ten's decision not to tell him about his problem but at the same time he's really scared that Ten might hurt himself by closing off completely.

They have been best friends for many, many years but Johnny hasn't had any best friends feelings for Ten in a very long time. It isn't a sad, pining kind of love he is feeling. It is rather comforting. He loves Ten and that is okay, whether they are together or not. Ten probably doesn't feel the same things for him, but he is still a big part of his life and whatever Johnny asks from him he would gladly give. Things are good the way they are.

Still, Johnny can't help but be extra protective of Ten or worry about him more than the others.

One morning he just can't take it any more. They are sitting around the breakfast table when Doyoung says something completely normal which could also be interpreted as a dirty joke. Ten, normally doesn't even let the other person finish before making a funny comment about it and laughing the hardest about his own joke. But not this time. Only when Donghyuk and Yuta break out into loud laughter he raises his eyes from his half-eaten cereal and looks at the two of them with a sad, confused look in his eyes. He looks like a small, hurt kitten and Johnny wants nothing more than to wrap his arms around him and keep him save within them. He never gets the chance to though, because after that Ten stands up without a word, putting his unfinished cereal in the sink and leaves.

Ten is usually such a loud and bubbly person, making everyone around him happy. Seeing him like this not only hurts Johnny, it also makes him feel uneasy. Over all those years Ten has been the most important person in his life and the main source of his happiness, if Ten isn't happy Johnny doesn't know how to live either.

His worrying increases even more after that and when he sees Sicheng down the hall while he walks back from dance practice, he tries another approach. If he can't ask Ten directly maybe he can ask someone else.

"Hey, Sicheng!", Johnny yells, running after the Chinese male. The blond turns around, giving Johnny a smile.

"Hyung. What is it?"

"Do you know what's wrong with Ten?"

Sicheng and Ten have been really close ever since their trainee days, and now that they are preparing for their Chinese sub-unit and sharing a room they spend way more time together than Ten and Johnny could in their current situations. Johnny hopes that might give Sicheng some more insight in how Ten is feeling.

Sicheng tilts his head, a troubled look on his face. He seems to think for some time before letting out a deep sigh in resignation.

"I told him you'd start asking questions sooner or later."

"What?"

"Listen…", Sicheng sighs again. "Ten is dealing with some… issues at the moment. Most of which could be solved if he just talked about them with the right person. But he doesn't. Instead, he chose the unhealthy method of bottling everything up inside of him."

"Oh…" That only confirms what he already suspected. "Why… I mean who…?"

Sicheng shakes his head, cutting Johnny off. "Go and talk to him personally. Please. I'm not gonna break his trust in me by telling you something. And I also think that you'll be able to help him much better than I could." Sicheng tries an encouraging smile but Johnny can see that he's also worried about his friend.

"Okay, I'm gonna go talk to him right now", Johnny decides, already walking off but Sicheng's hand on his arm stops him.

"Wait. He isn't home. He's out with Donghyuk, they talked about getting new shoes or something." He slightly shakes his head. "I'm going out with Yuta now so you can just go to our room and wait for him there okay? I'll stay away as long as you want me to, just text me once things have been sorted out."

"I will. Thank you." He envelops Sicheng in a hug before letting him go to meet his boyfriend.

Ten's and Sicheng's room is only two doors down from Johnny's own dorm room. When he enters he is immediately enveloped by the sweet fragrance of the expensive Gucci perfume both Ten and Sicheng use. He takes a deep breath, the familiar scent calming him as he sits down on Ten's bed. It is the left one, with the soft baby blue comforter and the cute bear toy Johnny had given him almost three years ago. It feels strange sitting there all alone. He's been in the room several times, had sat on Ten's bed till late at night, talking with him about this and that. But it has never been like this. Never had he been so fucking nervous. He doesn't know when Ten and Donghyuk had left so it could really take hours for them to come back. He leans back against the wall and pulls out his phone, trying to kill time by scrolling through his social media accounts.

It takes almost two hours until the door is opened again. Ten seems a little happier than before when he walks in his room. Johnny is glad. Their little sunshine has that effect on people.

"Ten."

He startles and looks up. When he sees Johnny sitting on his bed his small smile vanishes. Ouch.

"What are you doing here?" He looks adorably confused.

"Sicheng said we should talk."

Ten's lips press together in a thin line. He's angry but there´s also something like panic in his expression.

"That little fucker. He didn't have the right to tell you anything."

Johnny shakes his head. "He didn't say anything. I just asked him if you were okay, and he suggested I'd talk to you personally."

"Oh."

He drops his shopping bags on the floor before sitting down on the bed next to Johnny. Not too close though. Which is also weird. Normally Ten would almost sit on top of him, not letting a chance to cuddle go to waste.

"You don't want to talk to me", Johnny states as a matter of fact. Ten shakes his head.

Despite his sadness Johnny can't help but notice how good he looks. His recently dyed black hair is longer than normal, ideal to push one's hands through it. The skinny jeans and oversized pink jumper are making him look even tinier than usual.

"If you really don't want to talk to me I'll go but who knows maybe it might help. I just want you to know that I've been worrying a lot about you the past few weeks. And that I'll be there for you no matter what." Johnny stands up from the bed. He can't believe that all that waiting might have been for nothing, he shouldn't have underestimated Ten's stubbornness.

He doesn't get to do more than two steps when a small hand wraps around his wrist.

"No, Johnny wait I..."

Before he can realize what's happening, Ten has stood up too and is wrapping his arms around Johnny's waist, hugging him as tight as he can. Face buried in the older's pullover. Johnny needs a second to react but then he's raising his arms, holding Ten as tight and safe as he's wanted for days now. Johnny soothingly rubs his back in slow circles. He still doesn't know what's wrong with Ten but this is a start. Then he feels the smaller male shake. He's crying, the thick tears wetting Johnny's pullover.

Johnny takes a step backwards to sit on the bed, pulling Ten down with him. The smaller male now curled up in his lap, still sobbing against Johnny's chest. It hurts Johnny to see him like this, but he doesn't know what to do apart from giving all the security and stability he can. He wonders how often Ten has broken down like this within the last few weeks. How often has Johnny not been there to calm him down, to hold him and tell him that everything was going to be alright.

"I'm so scared", Ten mumbles after some time. The tears had almost died down, and he only lets out occasional sobs, wiping his face with his sweater paws.

"What are you scared of?" Johnny pays extra attention to talk as soft and calm as possible.

Ten looks up at him, eyes red and pupils blown wide.

"Of you."

"What?" This wasn't the answer Johnny has expected. Why would Ten be scared of him? He always made sure to handle him so carefully and fondly. If there was something or someone Ten really didn't have to be scared of it was Johnny.

Ten lets out another sob. "I'm scared that one day you will wake up and see yourself the way I see you. And you'll realize that you're such a kind and loving person and that you deserve so much better than me." His voice breaks and he takes a deep breath.

"Ten no…", Johnny takes Ten's face between his hands, studying his face. He's completely serious.

"I'm sorry", he gasps. "I'm sorry for crying so much, for ruining your shirt. Gosh I'm such a mess. You won't have to deal with that any longer."

Johnny vehemently shakes his head, how could Ten say something like this.

"Ten. It's not a burden to take care of you…" It's a privilege, he wants to add but Ten's crying gets worse again.

"I'll be in China and you'll be here and no one will cuddle me when I'm having a breakdown because I can't even speak the damn language and when I'll come back you will already have found someone better than me and..."

"I'm leaving in three weeks and then I won't even be there when...", his sobbing gets worse, and he can't even finish his sentence any more.

"I'll miss you too", Johnny mumbles, pressing Ten's head against his neck, needing to feel him as close as possible.

"No…no you won't", Ten sobs. "You will realize how much better your life is without me and that you deserve to surround yourself with people who are so much better for you than I am. You'll see. You've wasted enough time with me."

"Ten. Tennie." Johnny feels tears rise in his eyes. He can't cry now, he needs to calm Ten down first. "First of all, you're going to China, you're not gonna die. And second of all: There's no one I'd rather spend my time with than you. No one that is better for me than you. You're the most amazing, caring, beautiful person I have ever met. My life has only been complete since I met you. I love you more than anything and I will never stop. There will never be a person in the whole world that can replace the space you own in my heart. You understand that?"

Ten's just staring at him. Eyes wide and glassy. A single tear is rolling down his cheek, apart from that his tears had stopped as soon as Johnny had started talking. He manages a short nod.

"No one can replace what you and I have. I promise you, I'll wait for you no matter for how long. You're worth it. You and I, we belong together, okay?"

Ten nods again before surprising Johnny by just leaning in and kissing him. It's soft and short but it leaves Johnny in shock. He wasn't expecting this at all and now he doesn't know what to make out of it. He's wanted this for so long but never dared to even imagine it and now… it just happened.

"You love me." Ten whispers and oh shit. Johnny hasn't even realized that he'd let it slip.

"I… I mean I'm sorry I…", he doesn't get to say anything else, Ten placing his hand over Johnny's mouth to keep him shut. There´s a soft smile on his face. He´s biting his lip and staring at Johnny with tears in his eyes.

"What do you think why I'm so hung up in my fears of you replacing me?"

"Because you're my best friend…"

Ten shakes his head.

"No. I love you too you dumb idiot." He smiles happily. For the first time in weeks Ten really smiles. Sure it's accompanied by tears, but they're happy tears. He pulls his hand away from Johnny's mouth to use it to push the older's fringe out of his face.

"You do?"

"Of course. Do you really think I'd have all those fears if just liked you as a friend?"

"No?"

"No, of course not."

"Oh."

"Gosh I can't believe I thought you weren't good enough for me. Who else is gonna put up with your idiotic ass."

He laughs and Johnny thinks he falls even more in love right there and then.

"No one", he agrees. "And my idiotic ass will be here for you to take care of whenever you come back from China. Only for you."

Ten nods. "Yeah…"

"Okay so now that that's settled can you please kiss me again?"


End file.
